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Marie-Josee Rodrigue, left, and Louis-Charles Lacroix look at their son Elliot while he is being kissed on the forehead by the Archbishop of Sherbrooke Luc Cyr, right, during a memorial mass at the Sainte-Agnes church in Lac-Megantic, Que., on July 6, 2014. The mass was held to commemorate the first anniversary of the crude-oil train explosion that killed 47 people on the morning of July 6, 2013. Lacroix and Rodrigue, while she was pregnant with Elliot, survived the accident. (REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger)

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LAC MEGANTIC, Que.-- In a poignant and moving speech, Lac-Megantic, Que., Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche told the residents of her town to keep moving forward, remember the past and embrace the future.

It has been one year since the tragic train derailment that killed 47 and destroyed Lac-Megantic's downtown core. The town is still rebuilding, and perhaps most importantly, still coming to grips with so much loss.

Residents gathered for a midnight mass at the local church, or as Father Steve Lemay called it last summer, "the family house."

"It has been 365 days," Roy-Laroche said, "since we all covered our faces instinctually. We put our hands in front of our eyes to not see the horrors in front of us, to hide our fears, and to wipe our tears away. For a time, we all hoped we would wake up from a terrible nightmare. When we moved our hands from our face we saw that the horror was real, and that sadly the worst was yet to come."

While talking about those difficult days right after the explosion, the mayor thanked the firemen, police, first responders and volunteers for their hard work. She also spoke about the important work done by the citizens of Lac-Megantic.

"Neighbours were helping neighbours," she said. "So many of you put a helping hand on the shoulder of someone in need."

"We must never forget, but we must also look to the future."

Finally, the mayor closed with a quote from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables: "even the darkest night will end with the sun coming up."

A "comforting mass," as Lemay called it, followed Laroche-Roy's speech.

"We've suffered and cried together, and we've worked together," Lemay said. "Together we will continue down the path of life."

The evening ended with a walk through the town, and culminated with a moment of silence at 1:16 a.m., the time the first explosion occurred.

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